Today we commemorate: Apostle Simon the Zealot. Mchch. Alphius, Philadelphus, Cyprian (Cyrinus), Onesimus, Erasmus and others (III). Mch. Hesychius of Antioch, etc. Isidora the Holy Fool, Tavenskaya (IV). Blzh. Taisia of Egypt (V). St. Simon of Pechersk, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal (XIII). Blzh. Simon, Christ for the sake of the holy fool, Yuryevetsky (XVI).
The icon of the Mother of God “Kievo-Bratskaya” is glorified.
We congratulate the birthday people on Angel Day!
Brothers and sisters, today we will get acquainted with the lives of two holy women, whose example especially exposes such a common sin as condemnation.
The Venerable Isidora, a holy fool for Christ’s sake, asceticised at the Tabenna Monastery in Egypt in the 4th century. The maiden Isidora took upon herself the feat of foolishness, behaved like a madwoman and did not eat food with the sisters of the monastery. Many of the nuns treated her with contempt and condemnation, but Isidora endured this with great patience and meekness, thanking God for everything. She worked in the refectory and performed the dirtiest and most difficult jobs around the monastery, cleansing the monastery of all uncleanness. The Monk Isidora covered her head with a simple rag, and instead of boiled food she ate water, in which she washed cauldrons and dishes. She was never angry, never insulted anyone with words, never grumbled against God or her sisters, and was silent.
One day a desert monk, Venerable Pitirim, had a vision. An Angel of God appeared to him and said: “Go to the Tavensky Monastery. There you will see a sister wearing a rag on her head. She serves everyone with love and endures their contempt without complaint. Her heart and thoughts always remain with God. And you sit in solitude, but with your thoughts you go around the entire universe.”
The elder went to the Tavensky monastery, but among the gathered sisters he did not find the one indicated to him in the vision. Then they brought to him Isidora, revered as possessed by a demon. Isidora fell at the feet of the elder, asking for his blessing. But the Monk Pitirim himself bowed to her to the ground and said: “First, bless me, honest mother!” To the surprised questions of the sisters, the elder answered: “Isidora is above all of us before God!” Then the sisters began to repent, confessing all the insults they had inflicted on Isidora, and asked her for forgiveness. The saint, burdened by the unexpected glory for her, secretly disappeared from the monastery, and her further fate remained unknown. It is believed that she died no later than 365.
In this life we see how much vain condemnation there was in the sisters of the Tavensky monastery, although they condemned the holy ascetic. Now let’s move on to the second saint commemorated today.
Saint Taisia lived in Egypt a century later, in the 5th century. Left an orphan after the death of her wealthy parents, she first led a pious life, devoting herself to charity and helping the sick. Often monks who came from the desert to the city to sell their baskets stayed in her house. Taisiya enjoyed universal love and respect.
After several years of diligent charity work, Taisiya's estate was depleted, and she began to be in need. Then she became acquainted with some ungodly people and fell under evil influence. Her life became more and more chaotic. Of course, many condemned her for such a fall.
The monks of the desert monastery, who had previously visited Taisiya, learned about such a change that had happened to her and were saddened. Calling their Abba, John Kolov, they asked him to visit her. Abba John came to Taisiya, sat down next to her, looked intently into her eyes, then bowed his head and began to cry bitterly. Taisiya was embarrassed and asked the elder: “Abba, why are you crying?” He replied: “I see that Satan is playing on your face, and how can I not cry? Why didn’t you like Jesus, so that you turned to things that were contrary to Him?” She, hearing this, trembled and exclaimed: “Father! Is there any repentance for me? He replied: “Yes!” “Then lead me where you know,” she told him and, getting up, followed him in tears.
Abba John was only surprised that before leaving, Taisiya did not order what to do with her property and things, and did not even say goodbye to anyone. When they reached the desert, it was already getting dark. Abba John made a head of sand for Taisiya and at some distance the same for himself. Having protected its head sign of the cross, said: “Sleep here,” and he himself, having fulfilled his prayers, also lay down.
In the morning, the elder began to wake up Taisiya, but then he discovered that she was already dead. The elder was greatly saddened, thinking that Taisia’s soul had perished, since she did not have time to repent, take communion and become a nun. Then he heard a voice: “One hour of her repentance is accepted as longer than the long-term repentance of others who do not show such selflessness during repentance.” So the Lord revealed to Abba John that God forgave Taisiya for the sincerity and decisiveness of her repentance.
Brothers and sisters, and here we see in the second life that Saint Taisia was indeed worthy of condemnation for her fall and wicked life, but her repentance before her death blotted out all her sins. This means that any condemnation of her while she was still in sin was also in vain. So, we have two examples. The venerable ascetic is a needlessly condemned and fallen sinner, worthy of condemnation, but purified by a short but zealous repentance. Those who condemned Saint Isidora sinned by condemning the present saint, those who condemned Saint Taisia sinned by condemning the future saint. So what conclusion does this suggest to us? Any condemnation is a sin. After all, no matter who we condemn, we know neither the inner life of the person nor his future repentance. Who knows, maybe the one whom we condemn today will, years later, offer prayers for us sinners before the Throne of God? This is a lesson for us.
Reverend Mothers Isidore and Taisie, pray to God for us!
All the best to you, dear TV viewers! Christ is Risen!
Deacon Mikhail Kudryavtsev
As presented by St. Demetrius of Rostov
In Egypt there lived a Christian youth named Taisiya. When her parents died and she was left an orphan, then, wanting to preserve herself in virginal purity, Taisiya distributed all her property to the poor, and made her house a hostel for the monks of the monastery. So she labored for a long time, receiving ascetics into his home and giving them rest from travel. After quite a long time, Taisiya completely spent all her property, so that she fell into great poverty. Through the cunning of the devil, some sin-loving people became close to her, who seduced her into sin and distracted her from the path of salvation; from that time Taisiya began to lead a sinful life, indulging in fornication and debauchery.
When the monastery ascetics learned about such a change in Taisiya’s life, they were very saddened. After consulting with each other, they went to Abba John Kolov 1 and said to him:
We heard about that sister that she was leading a sinful life. But since she showed us great love, giving us shelter in her home, we too will show her our spiritual love and take care of the salvation of her soul. Work hard, too, honest father, go to her and exhort her to repentance, you will be able to do this, since you are endowed with wisdom from God. We will fast and offer fervent prayers to God, so that the Lord will help you.
Abba John Kolov, fulfilling the request of the honest fathers, went to the city to that woman, praying on the way to God, his Helper, Who is pleased that everyone should be saved.
Approaching Taisiya’s house, the elder knocked on the door and then said to the woman guarding the entrance to the house:
Tell your mistress that I have come to talk to her.
The gatekeeper answered him with anger:
You monks have wasted all her property!
But the elder said to her:
Tell her about me that I brought her something very valuable.
The gatekeeper went and told her mistress what the elder had said.
The woman answered.
Monks, walking near the Black Sea, sometimes find beads. Bring that old man to me.
Entering the house, the elder sat down near Taisiya; then, looking at her face and taking a deep breath, he bowed his head and began to cry.
Then Taisiya asked the elder:
Honest father! What are you crying about?
The elder answered her:
I see how Satan plays on your face; How can I not cry? Why didn’t you want to have our Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Honest and Immortal Bridegroom, as your groom? Why did you despise His palace and give yourself to Satan? Why do you act according to his bad deeds?
Hearing such words, Taisiya was touched in her soul, since the words of the elder were for her like a fiery arrow that pierced her heart. Immediately, disgust for her sinful life appeared in her; she began to be ashamed of herself and her sinful deeds. Then she told the elder.
Honest father! Is there repentance for sinners?
The elder answered her:
Truly there is, and the Savior is waiting for your conversion, being ready to receive you into His fatherly arms; for He does not want the sinner to perish, but He wants the sinner to turn to the path of salvation. And so I will be your guarantee that if you repent sincerely and turn to the Lord with all your heart, He will again love you as His bride and, having cleansed you from all sinful impurity, will lead you into His imperishable heavenly palace. Then all orders of angels will rejoice over you, because they also rejoice over one sinner who repents.
Taisiya said to this:
May God's will be done, honest father! Take me from here and lead me where you know, where I could find a place convenient for repentance.
The elder said:
Let's go.
Then, getting up, he headed towards the exit of her house.
Taisiya also got up and followed the elder, without arranging anything in her house, without telling anyone anything about the house, but immediately leaving everything, for the sake of Christ.
Seeing that Taisiya did not take care of her home at all and did not say anything to anyone, Father John was very surprised at such a sudden change and such zeal for Taisiya for God. Having thanked God for this, he set off on his way. Taisiya walked behind him at a considerable distance from him.
When the travelers reached the desert, it was already too late; night was coming.
Having built a small head of sand on the ground, the elder said to Taisiya:
Sleep here under the cover of God's grace.
Then, having protected her with the sign of the cross, he walked away from her a short distance. Having said his usual prayers, the elder lay down on the ground and fell asleep.
When midnight came, the old man woke up because he saw light in the sky. Raising his eyes upward, the elder saw a streak of fire coming from the sky towards Taisiya.
John was horrified by this vision. Looking more closely at Taisiya, he noticed that the angels of God were lifting Taisiya’s soul to heaven along the way. John looked at this wondrous vision until it disappeared from his eyes. Then, getting up, John went to Taisiya; approaching her, he pushed her with his hand, but saw that she had died 2. Then the elder fell prostrate to the ground in fear and trembling. And a voice came to him from heaven, saying: “Her repentance, brought in one hour, is more pleasant to God than repentance that continues for a long time; because in the latter case, those who repent do not have such warmth in their hearts.”
The elder remained in prayer until the morning. Then, having buried the honest body of blessed Taisia, he came to the monastery, where he told the fathers about everything that had happened. Having learned about everything that had happened, the monks glorified and thanked Christ God for His great mercy. To Him - the true God - glory is given forever. Amen.
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2 Death of St. Taisiya followed in the 5th century.
The very bright and beautiful ancient Greek name Taisia means “wise”, “fertile”, “late”, “belonging to the goddess Isis”. Orthodox Christians celebrate Taisiya’s name day several times a year, since more than one saint bore this name. Of these, only three are known: Taisia the Martyr, Taisia the Egyptian (5th century) and the Venerable Taisia the Egyptian of Thebaid (6th century). When studying when Taisiya celebrates name days, one should carefully consider the history of these saints. After all, it was faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and sincere repentance for their sins that saved them from the flames of hell.
Taisiya: Orthodox name days
Very little is known about Taisia the Martyr, only that she accepted martyrdom for her bold and firm confession of Christ. Taisia the Martyr is celebrated on April 4 according to the modern calendar.
But the life of Saint Taisia of Egypt is known in every detail. She lived in the 5th century Ancient Egypt. When her wealthy parents died, she began to lead a pious life and devoted herself entirely to charity and helping the sick and infirm.
Monks who came from deserts to cities to sell their baskets often stayed in her house. Taisiya was loved and revered, she enjoyed great respect among people. But after all her diligent charity work, her financial fortune gradually depleted. And she, too, was overtaken by need. At this time, people of bad behavior appear around Taisiya, she begins to lead a disorderly life.
Taisiya Egyptian
One day, monks who had previously stayed with Taisiya came from a desert monastery. Seeing her unhappy and sinful, they were greatly saddened, because she always showed them her love. Calling their Abba, whose name was John Kolov, they asked him to help Taisia. He immediately went to her and, sitting next to her, looked intently into her eyes and began to cry. She became worried and asked why he was crying. He answered that he saw Satan playing on her face, and began to cry tearfully about why she didn’t like Jesus, why she took the path contrary to the Lord. The girl was imbued with such accusatory words and trembled about whether she could repent. The elder replied that there was, and forced her to follow him. Abba John was very surprised that Taisiya immediately went after him, all in tears. She did not say goodbye to anyone and did not even give any orders about her property.
Peaceful demise
When they reached the desert, they had no choice but to spend the night in the sand. Having made a head of sand for her, first baptizing her, he put her to sleep, and he also lay down at some distance from her, having prayed before that. In the morning, when he got up, he found Taisiya dead. He was very frightened by the fact that she died without repenting, without receiving communion and without becoming a nun, as he wanted.
And then suddenly he heard the voice of God, who said that the hour of her repentance was more important than the long-term repentance of others who do not do it so selflessly. In this amazing way, the Lord gave John an answer to his question about forgiveness of sins for Taisia, who received it for her sincerity and determination in repentance.
Now the Orthodox also honor her name day. According to the church calendar, Taisiya celebrates her day on May 23. However, that's not all. In fact, there was another saint who bore this name, and in some aspects their fates were very similar.
Taisia of Egypt Thebaid
When approaching the question of when is Taisia’s name day, it is worth remembering another saint - Taisia of Egypt. It is written in the life that she was the daughter of a harlot, who taught her her craft. Taisiya was distinguished by rare beauty, so clients were willing to pay a lot of money for her, which is why they suffered real ruin. One day the Monk Paphnutius the Great came to her, wanting to talk with her. After their conversation, Taisiya collected all her earned treasures and burned them in the square of her city. And then went to convent for Saint Paphnutius. There, secluded in a cell, constantly mourning her sins, she spent three years in seclusion, eating only once a day.
Great Forgiveness
When three years had passed, Saint Paphnutius came to Anthony the Great to ask whether the Lord had forgiven Taisia. Then Anthony ordered all his monastic disciples to pray that the Lord Himself would give them an answer. After a while, Paul the Simple had a vision of three virgins of extraordinary beauty guarding a heavenly bed. Paul was delighted, he thought that this bed was intended for Father Anthony, but a voice from heaven told him that it was for the harlot Taisia. Thus, Paphnutius, having learned the will of God, went to Taisia’s cell to take her out and say that the Lord had forgiven her her sins. Two weeks later, illness overtook her, and three days later Saint Taisia peacefully departed to the Lord. Her name day is now celebrated on October 21.
The Taisis, in deep repentance, received mercy and forgiveness from the Lord. Thus, Taisiya’s name day is celebrated three times a year, as mentioned above: April 4, May 23 and October 21.
April May June July August September October November DecemberLife of Saint Taisia
In the land of Egypt 1 there once lived a woman who was depraved, shameless and unclean in her life. Having one daughter, named Taisiya, she taught her the same shameful way of life that she herself had learned, took her to a prodigal house and gave her to serve Satan, to the destruction of many human souls by seducing them with her beauty; for Taisiya was very beautiful in appearance and became famous everywhere for the beauty of her face. Because of carnal lust for Taisiya, many brought her a lot of gold and silver, shiny and expensive clothes. Seducing her admirers, she brought them to such ruin that many, having lost their property for her sake, fell into poverty, and others, starting quarrels among themselves because of her, beat each other and covered the thresholds of her house with their blood.
Hearing about this, the Monk Paphnutius 2, dressed in worldly clothes and taking with him a gold coin, entered the house where Taisia lived. Seeing her, he gave her a coin as payment, as if wishing to stay with her. Taisiya, taking the money, told him:
- Enter the room.
Paphnutius entered with her and saw a high bed laid out; sitting on it, he said to Taisiya:
- Isn’t there another room, a secret one, we can lock ourselves in it so that no one knows about us?
Taisiya replied:
- Eat; however, if you are ashamed of people, then in this you will hide from them, because the doors are closed and no one will come in here and know about us, and if you fear God, then there is no place that could hide you before Him, and if even if you hid underground, God sees there too.
Hearing these words from her, Paphnutius said to her:
– Do you even know about God?
Taisiya replied:
- I know about God, and about the bliss of the righteous, and about the torment of sinners.
Then the elder said to her:
- If you know about God, and about future bliss and torment, then why do you defile people and have already destroyed so many souls? Condemned to fiery Gehenna, you will suffer torment not only for your sins, but also for those whom you have desecrated.
At these words, Taisiya threw herself weeping at the feet of the elder, exclaiming:
“I also know that for those who have sinned there is repentance and for sinners there is forgiveness, and I hope through your prayers to get rid of sins and receive the mercy of the Lord.” But I pray you, wait for me a little, only three hours, and then wherever you command me, I will go, and whatever you tell me, I will do.
The elder showed her the place where he would wait for her and left. Then Taisiya, having collected all her treasures, acquired through debauchery, at a cost of up to four hundred liters of gold, took them out into the middle of the city and, having lit a fire, laid it all on it, and burned it in front of all the people, exclaiming: “Come, all you who have sinned with me, and watch me burn what you gave me.”
Consigning her uncleanly acquired wealth to the fire, she went to the place where Paphnutius was waiting for her. The elder led him to a nunnery and, having asked for a small cell, brought Taisia into it and locked her there; He sealed and nailed the doors of the cell tightly, leaving only a small window so that through it he could serve her a little bread and water.
How do you tell me, Father, to pray to God? – Taisiya asked Saint Paphnutius
“You are not worthy,” answered the elder, “neither to pronounce the name of the Lord, nor to raise your hands to heaven, for your mouth is filled with filth and your hands are polluted with uncleanness; just say, often turning to the east: “He who created me, have mercy on me!”
And Taisiya stayed in that seclusion for three years, praying to God, as Paphnutius taught her, eating only a little bread and water, and then only once a day.
After three years, Paphnutius, prompted by mercy towards her, went to the great Anthony 3, wanting to find out whether God had forgiven her or not.
Coming to the elder, he told him everything about Taisiya’s life. Anthony called his disciples and ordered them to shut themselves up each separately in their cell and pray to God all night so that He would reveal to one of them about Taisia, who was repenting of her sins. The disciples fulfilled the command of their father and begged God: He revealed about her to one of them, named Paul, who was called the Most Simple 4. Standing in prayer at night, he saw in a vision the heavens open, and a standing bed, very richly lined and shining with great glory; three maidens, fair-faced, stood and guarded him, and the crown lay on that bed. Seeing this, Paul asked:
“It’s true, this bed and crown are prepared for no other person than my father Anthony.”
“This is not prepared for Father Anthony, but for Taisia, the former harlot.”
Having come to his senses, Paul began to reflect on what he had seen and, when morning came, he went to the blessed fathers Anthony and Paphnutius and told them about his vision. When they heard about this, they glorified God, who accepts those who truly repent. Then Paphnutius went to the nunnery where Taisiya lived in seclusion and, breaking the doors, wanted to take her out. But she began to ask him:
- Let me, father, stay here until my death and lament my sins: I have so many of them.
The elder answered her:
“God, the lover of mankind, has already accepted your repentance and forgiven your sins,” and brought her out of the seclusion.
Then blessed Taisiya said:
“Believe me, father, that as soon as I entered the seclusion, I presented all my sins before my mental eyes and, looking at them, cried incessantly. All my evil deeds have not been removed from my eyes to this day, but they stand before me and terrify me, since for them I will be condemned.
Coming out of seclusion, blessed Taisiya fell ill fifteen days later and, after being ill for three days, by the grace of God, she rested in peace. From her sick bed she was transferred to the bed that Paul the Most Simple saw prepared for her in heaven, where she is praised with the saints in glory and rejoices forever. Thus the sinner and fornicator preceded us into the kingdom of God 5 .
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1 The fatherland and city that witnessed Taisia’s sad victories during her prodigal life are unknown.
2 Under Rev. Paphnutius here is of course the abbot of the Heraclea monastery. The Greeks have Heraclea, the Jews have Ganes, the Arabs have Anas, one of the cities of the Heptanom province, located between Lower and Upper Egypt, and was classified as Upper Egypt. According to the testimony of Rufinus in his history of monasticism (chapter 16) and Palladius in his Lavsaik (chapter 57), Paphnutius was such a high ascetic that he was looked upon as an angel of God. Zealous for the salvation of souls, he turned many lost laymen to the path of salvation.
By the 5th century AD e. During the Byzantine era, Christianity established itself in Egypt, all pagan temples were destroyed long ago, and many monasteries appeared in their place. In the northwestern part of the country there was an area called Skitskaya Hermitage. There, the monks lived in fasting and prayer, overcoming many difficulties, constantly experiencing a lack of water. Those of them who were heading to the city or returning to the Hermitage Hermitage, along the way, visited one Christian girl, who joyfully received into her home all those in need of shelter and food.Doing good
Her name was Blessed Taisiya. The girl was an orphan. She inherited a large estate from her wealthy parents. Raised in Christian traditions, she led a pious life. Wanting to help people, she did charity work and gave money to the poor. The monks from the Skete Hermitage respected and loved her. The elders, who were not able to travel from the monastery to the city in a day, where they sold wicker baskets and other products self made, often stayed with her overnight.
Lost herself
After some time, blessed Taisiya, having distributed her fortune to the poor, began to suffer need herself. The girl was still very young and naive, she had no idea how to live further. It turned out that she was completely unprepared for the difficulties. Unfortunately, at a difficult moment there was not a single person next to her who could support her. The monks did not leave the Hermitage at this time and therefore could not visit her.
Blessed Taisiya lived with her maid. She was much older than her, had a rude disposition, and she did not like the fact that the mistress had run out of money. Every day she told the girl that she was doing wrong, that she needed to live for herself. Seeing that blessed Taisiya had completely lost heart, the maid became bolder and began to invite men into the house and organize celebrations. So the unfortunate girl succumbed to temptation and began to do what she previously considered a sin.
Penitent
Notoriety spread quickly. When the monks in the Skete Hermitage found out what was happening in the house of Blessed Taisia, they decided to save her. The Monk John Kolov went to her.
The door was opened by a maid. She wanted to drive the guest away, but he said that he had brought something valuable for her mistress. Blessed Taisiya ordered him to be let in, thinking that he had pearls - the monks, while wandering, sometimes found them by the sea. As soon as the Monk John Kolov entered the room, he looked at the girl, sat down and began to cry. She asked what happened.
“I see how Satan plays on your face; How can I not cry? Why didn’t you want to have our Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Honest and Immortal Bridegroom, as your groom? Why did you despise His palace and give yourself to Satan? Why are you acting according to his evil deeds? – the elder answered bitterly.
As soon as he uttered these words, a burning pain pierced the heart of blessed Taisiya. It was as if she had woken up from an obsession and realized what she had done to herself. Shame choked her. Not daring to raise her eyes to the monk, in a choked voice she asked the question: “Is there repentance for sinners?”
The Monk John Kolov told her that the Lord does not desire the death of sinners, but their return to the right path leading to salvation. If you repent with all your heart, the Lord will cleanse a person from sins and lead you into His Heavenly palace. “I want this, I will leave this house forever!” - Blessed Taisiya exclaimed and asked to be taken to a suitable place.
Rescued
They went towards the Holy Desert, but on the way they were overtaken by night. The elder showed the girl a place to sleep, and he himself settled down at a distance from her. At midnight he woke up. A column of light shone in the sky; it descended to the ground where blessed Taisiya lay. The monk rushed to her and fell to his knees in horror. The girl was dead. The monk was saddened that she did not have time to undergo communion and become a nun. At that same moment, he heard a voice from above, announcing to him: “Her repentance, brought in one hour, is greater than repentance lasting a long time; because in the latter case the penitents do not have such warmth in their hearts.” The elder prayed until dawn, then he buried Saint Taisia in the same place where she died.
What a miracle happened
The story of Saint Taisia describes a miracle that happened after her repentance. The Lord immediately took the girl, a former sinner, to the Kingdom of Heaven. Monks strive for Salvation for many years in prayer. Saint Taisia was called blessed because she completely surrendered herself to God, placing all her hopes on Him, and not everyone succeeds in this.
Meaning of the icon
The icon of Holy Blessed Taisia tells us about the mercy of our Lord. She reminds everyone of the power of repentance. If a person has committed a sin, punishment, even if it lasts for years, will not correct him, but sincere repentance can change everything in one hour.
